


of cats and cakes

by fabulousfairytales



Series: schmico AU ville [4]
Category: Grey's Anatomy
Genre: Alternate Universe, Cat Cafés, M/M, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Writer!Nico, baker!Levi, i have no idea how i came up with this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-14
Updated: 2019-02-14
Packaged: 2019-10-28 03:41:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,390
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17779904
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fabulousfairytales/pseuds/fabulousfairytales
Summary: As the proud owner of Seattle's first cat café, Levi has to deal with a lot of stuff. Andd sometimes he has to throw out the date of a really handsome customer, because he's been talking shit about his establishment.





	of cats and cakes

**Author's Note:**

> Hello and Happy Valentine's Day to y'all! ♥  
> I wanted to post this earlier but it became too cute to not post it today.  
> Thanks to my boo [schmittlevi](http://schmittlevi.tumblr.com/) for betaing. ♥

Levi was done. He had spent the past six hours baking non-stop. They had a big order of 150 cupcakes and his colleague had gotten sick yesterday which left him to do the order all by himself. On goddamn Valentine’s day. And they really needed the money. It’s not like the café was doing bad, but you never know. They were the first cat café in Seattle, but as of right now, two others have opened, so the competition was there.

But that wasn’t all. Right in between this whole ordeal, a group of fifth graders plus teachers had practically stormed the café. First, Levi thought that his business partner had forgotten to tell him about the group coming in, because the teachers swore that they had called in to inform them about coming. But it turned out that apparently, they had called the wrong café. It wasn’t something they couldn’t handle, but today was the worst day for it. While it was good for the business, them basically ordering everything they had at 11 am, threw Levi a little back in his schedule, since he now had to bake some pies in addition to those cupcakes, so they would have something to sell.

It’s been a stressful day so far and all that kept Levi alive was the thought of his upcoming break where he would eat a piece of that goddamn cherry pie he just made and pet some fluffy cats.

Tonight, he wouldn’t have any troubles falling asleep. He was already exhausted. All he had to wait for now, was for the caterer to show up and pick up the cupcakes. And then he could finally take his well-deserved break.

He loved his job, he really did, but it was a lot of work. Not just running a café, but also caring for all those fluffy balls of happiness that were depending on them. It was really wearing him out sometimes.

He could finally take a breather when the caterer showed up 20 minutes later to pick up the cupcakes, leaving Levi to his break. He took a plate and put the biggest slice of pie he could find on it.

“Guys! When the coffee is empty, make a new pot! It’s not that hard,” he reminded the two newbies. “It’s not that hard,” he cursed under his breath as he put some ground coffee into the new filter and started the machine.

As he waited for the coffee to be done, he drowned the pie in an extra big portion whipped cream and grinned with satisfaction. Looking around the room, he noticed two guys sitting at a table at the window. He frowned a little. That was his favorite spot. Of course they would sit there, it was their best table. Well, technically, it wasn’t a table, more of a booth, but that wasn’t the point.

The point was that – Shit, one of them was really attractive.

As he was still waiting on that coffee, one of their ginger cats jumped onto the counter, practically demanding to be petted. Levi giggled and fondled the little one's ears, resulting in a content purr. He didn't notice how one of the men was turning his head to look at him after he heard Levi's giggle.

Meanwhile Nico was on the worst first date ever. And that on Valentine’s Day. The guy was probably the most boring, but also most infuriating guy he has ever met. After entering the café, which was when he noticed all the Valentine’s Day decoration, they sat down in the booth and a waitress was asking them if they wanted to order something. And instead of letting Nico order a hazelnut latte and cherry pie, he ordered a coffee for him? Who does that? Who orders for someone in a café? Well, first red flag.

And yes, first. There were more.

They were talking about their jobs, he was a banker, when a beautiful black cat jumped onto their table. While Nico's eyes instantly lit up as he reached over to pet the little thing, his date frowned and turned up his nose at it. Noticing that, Nico gave him a confused look, asking if everything was okay.

“I don't really like cats.” Nico frowned, even more confused than before.

Levi raised his eyebrow as his and cat-petting guy's eyes met. Levi's eyes grew, and he quickly turned away. He wasn't eavesdropping, he just overheard them... Okay, he was eavesdropping. But only because that cute guy's voice was so unbelievably deep.

“What? Then why did you agree to meeting here?”

“Well, uh. I just... really wanted to meet with you.”

“Oh. Well that's... You could've said so, though. We could've gone somewhere else I guess,” Nico suggested.

“Yeah, I know. I just didn't want to take my chances. I mean you are pretty hot for an Asian guy.”

“For an... What the –“ In that moment another cat was jumping onto their table and his date, no this guy, was looking at it like it just murdered his family.

“It's so fucking weird. Cats in a café? It doesn't make sense. And I mean, look at this. It's so dirty.”

“What?”

“Yeah look at this. Everywhere is cat hair. That's disgusting.”

“Alright, listen up,” Levi said as he just put his plate onto the table next to them, petting the cat in his arm. “You should've really told him that you don't like cats.”

“Uhm, excuse me? Who do you think you are?” The guy asked snappish and gave Levi a derogatory glance as he bent down to let the cat in his arms on the ground again.

“Uhm, the owner. And if you don’t like it here, you can leave. We don’t need that kind of negativity in our café. If you don’t like cats, say so _before_ going to a cat café or stop bitching around,” Levi growled.

“Wow, that’s some really shitty service here –“

“Alright, out. I don’t care if you haven’t paid yet, just leave. Now.”

“What the…”

“Out. Or do I need to call security?” Levi asked calmly, raising his eyebrow while waiting for an answer. The guy muttered something inaudible and got off his seat. He looked expectantly at the other man, but he just shook his head.

“I think I’ll stay here. Have a nice day, though,” The man said with a grin without even looking at the other guy, because his eyes were fixated on the little black ball of fluff in his lap.

“Fucking cats,” the guy cursed as he left the café and Levi could finally relax again. He watched the other guy that was fondling the cat’s ears and decided to grab his pie and to switch into his booth.

“She’s cute, isn’t she?” Levi noted as he watched the man play with the kitten.

“Yeah. She is. I’m Nico, by the way,” he introduced himself and offered Levi his hand who took it instantly and squeezed it lightly.

“Levi,” he replied as his hand lingered for a little bit longer than necessary. Nico’s hands were warm. And soft. Very soft. They smiled at each other for a moment before the ginger cat from before was climbing up into Levi’s lap. He was glad that he took off his yellow apron from before, or he would have to get a new one before entering the kitchen again.

“Oh, hello there Sprinkles. How are we feeling today?” He asked the cat as he caressed his belly.

“Sprinkles? Is that your cat?” Nico asked with a smirk.

“Yes, Sprinkles. And no, not really. Not yet at least. But I’ve been thinking about adopting this little ball of fluff for a few weeks now.” Levi chuckled when Sprinkles purred happily while rubbing his ears against Levi’s stomach.

“God, you’re so cute,” Nico cooed, causing Levi’s head to snap up, only to notice that the was talking to the cat in his own arm. Nevertheless, his heart was still beating fast. He tried to act like nothing happened, but Nico picked up on it and flashed him a smug grin.

“You’re also very cute,” he added with a smirk.

Shit. Why was he making him so nervous? Why did he think that it was a good idea to sit down here? Levi could feel his cheeks and ears heating up, probably turning onto a dark shade of red. Okay, he had to distract himself.

“Uhm… Do you want some cherry pie?” He then offered and pushed the plate into the middle of the table. What was he doing? He shouldn’t just give away pie like that. But Nico was cute and that guy was an ass. He deserved something nice. Yes. Yes, that’s why he was doing it. Definitely not because he had the hots for him.

Nico’s eyes lit up. “So you’re telling me that there is actually pie underneath all that whipped cream?” He teased while laughing softly.

“Surprisingly, yeah,” Levi chimed in to his laugh.

“But yes, thank you! I wanted to order it before with the hazelnut latte, but well, Trevor kinda ordered for us. He’s really… something.” Nico huffed and shook his head in disbelief as he picked up some of the pie onto his spoon.

“Yeah, you can say that. So… I assume… dating app date?” Levi asked carefully, patting Sprinkles’ head.

“Uh, yeah. Probably the last time I tried that,” Nico chuckled and shoveled the pie into his mouth. Oh wow. This was incredible.

“What, because of one bad guy? You can’t just give up like that –“

“Okay, first of all, this pie is amazing! Who made this? Really, it’s wow.” Levi blushed a little and set to say something, but Nico wasn’t finished yet. “And second, I’m not giving up. It’s just not for me.”

“Oh, well I made the pie,” Levi then said with a proud grin.

“Shit, I’m in love,” Nico breathed and put another spoonful of pie into his mouth, munching on happily and grinning at Levi’s cheeks that were still a little red.

“Are you now?”

“Of course, I mean how could I not? A cute baker with a cat café? Where have you been all my life?”

“I – uh,” Levi stammered as somebody called out for him to help them with the espresso machine. “I – I’m gonna be back in a minute. Just… wait here, okay?”

“Don’t worry,” Nico laughed, “I’m not going anywhere,” he added with a grin.

Levi went back to the counter, thinking that whatever it was, would only take a minute or two of his time. But then there was a sudden surge in customers, causing him to spend thirty minutes of just making coffees and lattes non-stop. When the line finally had cleared, he expected that Nico already left. Who would’ve held it against the guy? But to his surprise, he was still there, now sitting in front of a tablet and keyboard, typing away.

Levi returned to the booth with a hazelnut latte and coffee, this time however pulling the bold move of sitting down next to him.

“I’m so sorry, it can get kinda wild sometimes,” he explained as Nico was still typing. Levi frowned. Did he piss him off or something? It wouldn’t be unreasonable.

“I pissed you off, didn’t I? I’m –“ He was stopped by Nico’s index finger that he held up into the air, indicating to give him a moment. Levi fell silent and just watched him type for a few more seconds until he tapped somewhere on his tablet before closing it and turning his body to face him.

It was only now that he noticed how close Levi actually was. And he liked it. He liked it very much.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to be rude. It’s just – I – I’m a writer. And I had an idea, so yeah. Sorry. And thanks for the latte, really.”

“No, don’t apologize. Can I ask what you’re writing?”

“Uh, sure. It’s… well. It’s about a guy who lives a pretty normal life. You know, he’s a doctor, has nice friends and yet, there’s something missing. He doesn’t know if he’s just lonely or if he’s just looking for something new. But then he meets this other guy. And that’s where their adventure starts. Because this other guy is some kind of wizard who regularly saves the world from evil spirits that escape from other worlds and –I mean yeah it’s kinda weird, but –“

“No,” Levi stopped him, putting his hand on his shoulder, realizing what he did only a few seconds later. “No. It’s not weird. Don’t think that. It actually sounds really cool.” As a big nerd himself, Levi loved that idea and he made a mental note to ask him later about it again. Wait, later?

Nico didn’t know what it was about Levi, but he could see the sincerity in his eyes. And it made him feel really warm and fuzzy inside. Especially with that hand of his resting on his shoulder. Yes. This was nice.

“Thanks,” he replied quietly and put his hand over Levi’s, gently intertwining their fingers, giving him a soft smile as he studied the man’s face. His eyes were beautiful. They were _framed_ by his glasses, but they looked good on him. He had a little scruff, and his soft-looking lips were still curled up a little bit. 

He didn’t know how it happened, but he just instantly fell for the man in front of him. He just looked at Levi and was head over heels in love with him. It was weird. But also… kinda nice? Falling in love like that was something he never thought was possible for him.

“Your voice is really something, you know that?” Levi mentioned out of the blue.

“Huh?”

“It’s just. I think I never heard a voice this deep. It’s uh – it’s a nice voice. You got a really nice voice.” He ran his thumb over the tips of Nico’s fingers. Touching him felt so… electrifying. He wanted to never let go of it ever again. Was that too dramatic? For the hand of a guy that he just met?

But it was how he felt. The moment they made eye contact while that guy was ranting about his café, he felt like something was pulling him towards Nico. Just some… cosmic force. Or whatever people might call it.

It’s not like he didn’t believe in this kind of attraction, he just never felt it himself. Well, until now.

“Thanks,” Nico just whispered. Did he blush? Was that slight hint of red on Nico’s cheeks and ears him blushing? If so, then Levi found it incredibly endearing.

“Hey,” Nico began, “Would you like to go out for a drink later? When you get off?”

“Oh. Uh – uh yes. Yes, sure, I’d love to,” Levi nodded enthusiastically as Sprinkles jumped onto his lap again. He was already quite exhausted, and had planned to go to bed early today, but how could he when Nico was asking him out? He couldn’t just say no. Especially not on Valentine’s Day. He patted Sprinkles’ head, making him purr in happiness. He was such a good and fluffy boy.

“Oh, but I’m off in two hours. So where do you wanna meet?“ Levi asked.

“If it’s not too creepy, I’d wait here? The atmosphere is really nice so maybe I can finish a chapter until then.” Nico grinned a little shy. He was still a little insecure when he was talking to other people about writing. He didn’t even dare to call himself a writer before he published his first book a few months ago.

“Oh, of course, no problem. Stay here if you want. I have to go back to the kitchen now. But I’m looking forward to that drink later,” Levi grinned before he made his way to the back of his café.

Nico watched him go and smiled softly before turning on his tablet again. Somehow the doctor’s hazel eyes made so much more sense now.

It’s been an hour when a waitress stopped by his booth to drop off a gorgeous cupcake with a heart-shaped topper on it. Nico looked at her confused.

“I didn’t order anything,” he said.

“Yes, I know. My boss is sending me to give this to you. This is our Valentine’s day special. Chocolate with cherry topping and heart-shaped candy,” she explained with a grin.

“Oh. Well then… Thank you very much.” He grinned from ear to ear as he examined the cupcake. The candy topper had a little bee on it whichsaid ‘Bee mine’. Nico snorted and got out his phone to take a photo of it to send to his friend later. He knew that he’ll probably never hear the end of it. Going on two dates on Valentine’s day.

Just like the pie from before, the cupcake wasincredibly delicious, and Nico was amazed by Levi’s talent. It was such a good and pretty cupcake.

As the time went by, Nico wrote several pages of his story in which the doctor and the wizard are walking through a magical forest, trying to find shelter from an oncoming storm. That was until the black cat from before jumped up into his lap, rubbing her head against Nico’s stomach, meowing softly.

“You’re back.” Nico laughed softly as he adverted his glance from his tablet to fondle the cat’s ears. “You are such a cute little thing. Oh yes you are, my dear,” he giggled.

“She really likes you.” Nico’s head snapped up as he heard the newly familiar voice. Levi.

The baker was standing in front of the booth, one hand on his hip, his head cocked to the side and smiling brightly at Nico and the cat. He had changed into a different outfit, so Nico assumed that he was off now, ready to go with him to get that drink. That dark blue sweater really looked amazing on him.

“You know, not trying to be too pushy, but all these cats can be adopted,” he informed him with a wink. Nico chuckled and kissed the cat’s little head.

“So, you’re up for adoption, huh? You cute little thing,” he cooed. “What about Sprinkles then?” He added and smirked at Levi.

“I do plan to adopt him in a few weeks when my apartment is ready,” Levi explained with a smile.

“What if someone else wants to adopt him until then?”

“Well, good thing I’m the owner and can just tell them that this isn’t going to happen,” he grinned.

“Wow, so much power. I don’t know how to handle that.”

“Oh, I’m pretty sure you can find a way to… handle me,” Levi smirked and put his hand on Nico’s shoulder.

“Jesus.” Nico let out a heavy breath and shut off the tablet, packing it into his backpack before looking at the cat in his lap again. “I can’t believe I fell in love twice today,” he murmured as he ran his hand over her back.

“What?” Levi asked, not having been able to hear what Nico just said.

“Nothing, really. Uhm. So how does one adopt a cute little cat like her?” He asked as he looked up at Levi. The owner grinned widely and gently squeezed Nico’s shoulder. At that moment, the cat got up and jumped on the table, before jumping down and tiptoeing to the feeding bowl at the end of the room.

“How about you come back tomorrow, and we can talk about it then? It’s already late and Taryn is closing in a few minutes,” Levi suggested.

“Wow, we haven’t even been on our first date and you’re asking to see me again?” Nico teased as he got up and that was the first time that Levi noticed just how tall he was. Shit. He got even hotter. How was that even possible?

“M-maybe?” Why did his voice become all squeaky now? Oh god, this was embarrassing.

Nico chuckled and leaned down until his lips were right next to Levi’s ear.

“That’s good to hear,” he whispered before straightening up again and offering Levi his hand. Hesitant, Levi took it and intertwined their fingers. It still felt really good to touch it. The butterflies in his stomach were dancing wildly.

“Ready to go?” Nico asked.

“Oh yes.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!! Comments are very much appreciated!!  
> If you got a prompt or just wanna talk I'm [orthoglasses](http://orthoglasses.tumblr.com/) on tumblr!  
> 


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